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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27236134">Comfort in the Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlightBreeze/pseuds/MoonlightBreeze'>MoonlightBreeze</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [21]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Detroit Evolution - Fandom, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5 Times, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys In Love, Fluff and Angst, Gavin Reed Needs a Hug, Gavin Reed is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Nightmares, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has Feelings, Upgraded Connor | RK900 and Gavin Reed Live Together, Whumptober 2020, but we love him anyway, like really bad, no beta we die like men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:21:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,681</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27236134</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlightBreeze/pseuds/MoonlightBreeze</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>5 times Nines comforts Gavin after a nightmare. </p><p> </p><p>Whumptober 2020 prompt fic - alt. prompt, nightmares</p><p>Hopeful/happy ending for all 5 times. &lt;3</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Upgraded Connor | RK900 &amp; Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [21]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950094</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Comfort in the Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey, guys! This fic is written for the Whumptober alternate prompt: nightmares. I started this fic a while ago (in fact, I think I might have started it right after I watched Detroit Evolution for the first time alkdfjskjfs), but I finally finished it for Whumptober! So here, have some caring Nines helping Gavin through 5 different nightmares and a healthy dose of Gavin + feelings = ???</p><p>I really hope you like this!! Kudos make my day and comments validate my existence, so please feel free to leave those, if you want :) And, as always, I hope you have a wonderful day/night!</p><p>~ Em</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>~ <strong>1 </strong>~</p><p>Even after years of living with him, Nines would never become accustomed to the sounds of Gavin having a nightmare. No matter how long their relationship lasted, Nines didn’t think it would ever stop making him feel like someone had punched him in his thirium pump. The only positive was that, after years of living with him, Nines was acutely aware of when Gavin was having a nightmare. </p><p>Gavin never moved in his sleep; he got so little of it that when he did sleep, he passed out the second his head hit the pillow and laid there like a statue. Nines knew that, the instant he felt a twitch against his side or heard the first pained mutters and grunts that indicated Gavin was trapped in his mind again, it was time to intervene. </p><p>Nines leaned over and shook Gavin awake. His eyes flew open and he surveyed the room with wide, darting eyes. His breaths came in short, pained gasps that made Nines’ circuitry glitch. Nines soothed a hand through his hair and mumbled, “It’s okay, Gavin. I’m here. You’re safe.” Gavin struggled to pull himself into a sitting position, falling hard against the headboard. If it wasn’t for Nines’s hand that darted out to cradle the back of Gavin’s skull with practiced ease, he might have injured himself. </p><p>“Hey,” Nines said when Gavin seemed a little more lucid, the terrified, cornered look gone from his eyes. “Hey, Gavin.” He reached to cradle Gavin’s cheek in his hand, and Gavin, against his instincts and every dark, cruel pulse of his mind that told him, still, even after all this time, to run away, he didn’t deserve this, leaned into the touch. </p><p>“Do you want to talk about it?” Nines asked. He knew that sometimes he did, knew that sometimes Gavin needed to tell someone else about what his mind had conjured while he slept before he was able to relax again. He also knew that sometimes the last thing Gavin wanted was to relive what he’d seen, no matter how cathartic it promised to be. He had always left the choice up to Gavin. </p><p>“No,” Gavin mumbled, and Nines knew that he could tell he was disappointed, but he also knew that they had come far enough for Gavin to feel justified in his decision. He was proud of Gavin, even if he’d rather the detective get it out in the open and stop bottling things up like this. </p><p>“Okay,” Nines said. “That’s okay.” He moved closer without invitation and stroked nimble fingers up Gavin’s spine. “That’s okay,” he repeated, and it was more than a statement this time; it was a promise. He knew Gavin understood because the older man sagged against him and let some of the tension in his body bleed out while he was cocooned in Nines’s arms. </p><p>“What do you need?” Nines asked. He was never really sure, with Gavin, but eventually he had learned to trust Gavin to tell him the truth, just as Gavin had learned it was okay to ask for what he needed. </p><p>They had come a long way since that first night. </p><p>“Jus’ you,” Gavin mumbled. “Jus’ you, Nines. Stay with me.”</p><p>“I’m right here, Gavin,” Nines promised. “I’m not going anywhere.” He shifted a little closer and wrapped his arms around the other man.</p><p>“I’ll keep you safe tonight, Gavin.”</p><p>~ <strong>2 </strong>~</p><p>It was nearing three in the morning when Nines heard the grunt coming from beside him. He looked over at Gavin, who’d fallen asleep on the couch over their case files. Not even Nines had been able to get Gavin to sleep in the wake of this new rash of android murders - Tracis, being stripped naked and their Traci parts stolen. He knew that it sparked something within Gavin, some protective instinct or justified rage, and it’d kept the man up for nearly 42 hours. </p><p>Nines reached over and placed a comforting hand on the detective’s shoulder. “Gavin! Gavin, wake up!” He shook the other man and watched carefully as Gavin’s eyes flew open and he moved away from the unidentified touch. There was something raw and pained in Gavin’s eyes, and it broke Nines’s heart to see. </p><p>“What’re you doin’?” Gavin asked, ripping his arm from the android’s grip. He cursed quietly and tried to get up, but quickly fell back to the couch as his knees buckled underneath him. </p><p>“You were having a nightmare,” Nines informed him clinically. “I woke you up.”</p><p>Gavin swore again and avoided Nines’ gaze. Nines swallowed hard, ignoring the tight feeling in his chest area. He remembered what had happened the last time Gavin awoke from a nightmare, and he realised that the tight feeling was what humans called fear - he was afraid that Gavin would push him away again.</p><p>“Gavin?” Nines questioned softly. “Are you okay?” </p><p>“Do I look okay to you?” Gavin snapped, and Nines flinched almost imperceptibly. Gavin ran a hand over his face and mumbled, “Fuck.” He inhaled shakily and said, “I’m a goddamn mess, Nines.”</p><p>“Humans are always messes,” Nines replied, inching closer to the detective. “It’s evident in their complicated nature.” He hesitated before reaching out and stroking his fingers through Gavin’s messy, brown hair. “I am learning that it is okay to be a little bit of a mess, Gavin.” He nuzzled Gavin’s curls with his nose, and Gavin huffed out a laugh. “You are my mess. I prefer you this way, mess or no.”</p><p>Gavin didn’t say anything in response, but Nines saw some of the tension bleed from his body, his shoulders relaxing. When Gavin placed his hand on Nines’s thigh, palm up, Nines felt like something had clicked into place. He interlocked his fingers with Gavin’s and held the other man’s hand for the remainder of the night, until Gavin drifted back to sleep on Nines’ shoulder.</p><p>In the morning, Nines would swear that he’d never been happier when Gavin gave him a soft, sleepy smile and a quick kiss instead of anger or denial. </p><p>It wasn’t much, but it was definitely progress. </p><p>~ <strong>3 </strong>~</p><p>Gavin stumbled into his apartment, barely managing to shove his key into the lock. The world was swimming before his eyes, and even he knew that he would have to get some sleep soon. He discarded his jacket and belongings by the coat rack and made his way to the couch. His bedroom seemed so far; he didn’t think he would make it. </p><p>He flopped onto the couch, face-down, and heaved a huge sigh of relief. The last few days had been hell for Gavin with Nines in the hospital and Ada still at large. Now, Nines was safe and Ada had become deviant and he could finally rest. Gavin closed his eyes with a sigh and fell asleep within seconds. </p><p>When Gavin woke up, it was to a dimly lit alley that he was all too familiar with. “Nines?!” he shouted, racing towards the slumped figure of his partner, his best friend, his, his...the possibilities that raced through Gavin’s mind on how that sentence should end weren’t helping the situation.</p><p>His indestructible partner reached a hand out to Gavin, but the movement was clunky and mechanical, lacking any of the android’s usual elegance. Gavin grasped it tightly anyway, moving to cradle Nines’ cheek with one calloused palm. Nines tried to speak, but his voice sounded like something out of a horror movie, glitchy and full of static. Gavin couldn’t understand what he was trying to say, and his throat burned with the knowledge that he wouldn’t know what Nines’ last words to him were. </p><p>
  <em>No, no, it won’t come to that…</em>
</p><p>Gavin pulled Nines close, fighting back the panic that threatened to choke him. Nines’ eyes slipped closed and with them, Gavin felt his heart plummet. Nines was so much more than his partner at this point. Nines was his friend, his support, his, his <em>world</em>. Gavin didn’t think he could handle going back to a life without Nines in it.</p><p>The shrill sound of sirens blared in the distance, and Gavin felt a small spark of hope ignite in his heart. He looked back down at Nines, cradled in his arms and not looking anything like the terminator Gavin knew him to be. He looked fragile, breakable. Gavin sucked in a deep breath. Nines’ LED spun red, but it was beginning to dim. </p><p>Gavin wasn’t the praying type, but if ever there was a time to ask for help from a God that may or may not exist, it was right now. </p><p>
  <em>Please, God, don’t let Nines die…</em>
</p><p>The LED grew dimmer still. </p><p>“...Gavin!” Gavin was aware of a voice calling to him as if through a long tunnel, barely there and hardly his biggest concern at the moment. He watched as Nines’ LED flickered once, twice. The voice grew more insistent. “Gavin, wake up!”</p><p>Wake up? He was asleep?</p><p>Gavin’s eyes flew open with a startled cry. His apartment and the blurred figure of his partner swam before his eyes. He could just barely make out the swirling yellow of Nines’ LED in the haze. He pushed himself into a sitting position and ran a hand down the length of his face. He scowled when it came back wet. He hated crying, especially in front of someone else. His heart pounded painfully in his ribcage as he took a deep breath and tried to calm down from his nightmare.</p><p>“Gavin?” Nines questioned, respectfully keeping his distance. “Are you alright?”</p><p>“Fuckin’ peachy,” Gavin replied shortly. He inhaled shakily. No matter how far they’d come, he would never <em>like </em>the android shoving all of his walls down like he managed to do every fucking time. This was new, this was scary, and Gavin didn’t know what to do. His heart begged for him to accept the hand he was being offered, but his brain screamed that he’d regret it if he did. </p><p>“Would you like to talk about it?” Nines asked, ever the considerate and thoughtful bastard he was. He sounded just like he had that first night. </p><p>Gavin cleared his throat. “It’s, uh, there’s nothing to talk about.”</p><p>Nines furrowed his brow in a shockingly human manner, stealing the breath from Gavin’s lungs and making his heart begin to race again for an entirely different reason. “Are you sure? Talking seems like a helpful solution when one’s partner is dealing with nightmares such as yours.”</p><p>Gavin scowled at Nines. He hated it when he got all clinical and shit. Like Gavin was someone he could scan or analyse with those fancy fucking sensors of his and figure out in no time flat. Gavin would never admit it, but he was afraid of being that transparent to someone, especially the one person that seemed to see him and understand him more than anyone else ever had. </p><p>Nevertheless, Gavin found himself getting to his feet, wobbling unsteadily for a few seconds before he regained his balance, and heading for the kitchen. Nines followed, his LED still blinking yellow. Gavin could tell he was unsure what to do. He wished he could reassure the android somehow, but the truth was, he didn’t know what he wanted Nines to do, either. </p><p>Gavin’s nerves were frayed and he was glad Nines didn’t try to speak to him as he bustled around the kitchen, gathering the ingredients for hot chocolate. Before Nines, hot chocolate was the only thing that could save him from a spiral of self-loathing that would knock him out of work for a few days at least. </p><p>“You want any?” Gavin asked Nines gruffly, his hand hovering over a second cup. </p><p>“Sure,” Nines replied. “Thank you.”</p><p>Gavin made a little sound in response, preparing another cup in silence. The hum of the air conditioning and the shrill screech of sirens outside were the only things that interrupted the quiet. Gavin took a deep breath, clutching the countertop with calloused fingers. He grit his teeth, closed his eyes, and, without looking at Nines, said, “It was about you.”</p><p>“Me?”</p><p>“Yeah, you. That time you almost died. In the alley.”</p><p>“Oh,” the android breathed, and Gavin didn’t have to turn around to know his LED was spinning in a little red circle. “I didn’t realise. I am sorry to have affected your dreams this way, Gavin.”</p><p>“S’not your fault,” Gavin mumbled, taking the kettle off of the stove and pouring hot water into each of their cups. </p><p>“I still feel some modicum of responsibility,” Nines said, frowning, as Gavin handed him his cup of hot chocolate. </p><p>“Yeah, well, don’t,” Gavin retorted, stirring his hot chocolate with the wrong end of a spoon. “I didn’t tell you so you could go get a guilt complex on me.”</p><p>A small smile made the corners of Nines’ lips twitch upwards at that, and Gavin hid his smirk by bringing the steaming cup to his lips and taking a slow, measured sip. </p><p>“Is there something you need from me, Gavin?” Nines asked after a few minutes had passed. </p><p>“Jus’ stay,” Gavin mumbled, his cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “Stay with me, so I know you’re not gone. Don’t, don’t leave.”</p><p>“Of course, Gavin.”</p><p>With that, the two finished their hot chocolate on opposite sides of the kitchen. Gavin didn’t want Nines any closer, and he was grateful that the android didn’t try to close the gap between them. But Nines’ presence, steady and immovable, washed over him, soothed him, reassured him that he was alive and okay and not going anywhere, and for that Gavin was grateful. </p><p>~ <strong>4 </strong>~</p><p>Nines was half-tempted to stream some music to his HUD; the precinct was entirely too silent. He was used to hearing the screech of sirens, the bustle of city life, even the soft meows of Gavin’s cat well into the night. He had never been in a building as quiet as the precinct was at night. He stole another quick glance at Gavin. If he thought the stubborn detective would agree to it, he would have brought him home already. </p><p>Nines sighed and forced himself to refocus on the case at hand. They were investigating a child’s abduction, and there wasn’t much time left. It was a miracle Gavin had managed to fall asleep. He’d been the last human awake and working, but Nines knew he was unstoppable when they got cases like these. </p><p>Gavin shifted in his sleep, drawing Nines’ attention away from the screen he was looking at, trying to find something, anything, a clue he had overlooked before. He watched as Gavin shrugged Nines’ jacket closer to his body, and a fond smile lifted the corners of his lips. </p><p>It disappeared as soon as it came, however, when Gavin began to mutter, a few choice expletives tumbling from his lips. Nines rushed over to him and began to stroke gentle fingers through his brown curls. </p><p>“Hey, Gavin, wake up,” Nines muttered, shaking his shoulder a little. “It’s just a dream, Gavin, wake up.”</p><p>Gavin clenched his fists in the throes of his nightmare, and Nines caught sight of his nails digging bloody craters into his palms. He shook his shoulders a little harder. “Gavin, wake up!” </p><p>Gavin’s eyes flew open, and he grasped the table hard, blinking furiously. Nines moved away, giving him some space as he took in his surroundings and began to process what was happening. When he appeared a little more lucid, Nines tangled his fingers together behind his back and said, “Gavin, are you alright?”</p><p>Gavin nodded wordlessly. </p><p>“Are you certain? Perhaps we should go home and get some rest.”</p><p>“Shut up, I know you’re not gonna be sleepin’ if we do that,” Gavin retorted. He got to his feet shakily and held Nines’ jacket out to him. </p><p>“I could go into stasis while you slept, if you’d prefer,” Nines informed him, pushing the jacket back into Gavin’s arms. When Gavin raised an eyebrow at him, Nines smiled softly and said, “Keep it for tonight. It’s cold and you are not wearing nearly enough layers.”</p><p>Gavin scoffed and threw Nines the middle finger, but Nines could see the hint of a smile that graced his lips. </p><p>“So where are we with the case?” Gavin asked, and just like that, it was back to business. Nines considered asking him what his nightmare was about, but he had a feeling he already knew. Besides, Gavin was picking up a cup of coffee and settling into ‘Detective Mode’ and Nines knew it would be futile to try and get him to talk about it now. </p><p>Somehow, Nines thought, just being here had been enough for Gavin. He certainly didn’t seem like he was in any distress. It made Nines’ thirium pump flutter to know that his mere presence could make Gavin feel better. It was a comforting thought. </p><p>~ <strong>5 </strong>~</p><p>Nines was almost as tired as Gavin himself when they arrived at the apartment, which was a first. Nines knew that he desperately needed to be in stasis for a little while, and Gavin desperately needed to sleep. With that, he led the human to bed the second they walked through the door, ignoring his exhausted protests about dishes and feeding Cinna and changing clothes. </p><p>“Those things can be done in the morning,” Nines informed him, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “After you’ve gotten some sleep.”</p><p>Gavin gave him a scathing glare, but Nines raised an unimpressed eyebrow in response. It was like a kitten trying to be a lion. <em>Adorable</em>. </p><p>Not to Nines’ surprise, Gavin fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. Nines smiled softly as his breathing deepened and all of the tension bled out of his shoulders. Gavin was rarely as peaceful as he was when he slept. </p><p>With that final thought to comfort his overworked processors, Nines took up a comfortable position next to Gavin and closed his eyes, allowing himself to slip into stasis. </p><p>Inside his newly rebuilt garden, Nines cut a small flower and brought it to his lips. <em>Wisteria</em>. It was beautiful, and it tasted like what he imagined Heaven and rain would taste like. </p><p>Nines wandered through the garden, stopping every once in a while to press a synthetic thumb to another flower. He loved it here. Birds flew through the air in streaks of dark browns and greys, and the trees were decorated in oranges and golds that made Nines feel as if he was living in a world where everything was colourful and there was no pain to be found. In his garden, Nines could truly appreciate the beauty of colour in a way he struggled to when he was in the outside world. </p><p>“Nines? Where are ya, tin can?” Nines smiled to himself. Of course, there were other benefits to his garden, as well. </p><p>“Gavin,” Nines said warmly, “I’m over here.”</p><p>A few seconds later, Gavin appeared from a copse of trees and slid into Nines’ arms, the white shirt pulling tight around his waist. Nines kissed him, soft and gentle, still unused to being able to do that without feeling like he was taking advantage of the real Gavin. </p><p>“Good evening,” Nines greeted him. “How are you today, Gavin?”</p><p>Gavin opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the walls of Nines’ garden-palace began to shake. Fear wormed its way into his chest area, squeezing Nines’ thirium pump like a vice. He looked around frantically, trying to identify the source of the tremors. He found nothing. </p><p>“N-Nines!” Gavin shouted, but it wasn’t the garden’s version of Gavin; no, that was the <em>real </em>Gavin, and he was calling for Nines. </p><p>Nines pulled himself out of stasis abruptly and turned to the human beside him, who was moaning like he was in pain and thrashing on top of the sheets. Nines felt something very akin to empathy flutter through him, and he reached over to Gavin, shaking his lover’s shoulders. </p><p>“Gavin? Gavin, wake up, it’s me! It’s a nightmare, Gavin. Wake up!”</p><p>Gavin’s hands clenched into fists around the sheets, and tears slid down his cheeks. His eyes were still screwed shut like he was afraid of what would happen if he opened them. </p><p>Nines moved closer. </p><p>“Gavin, hey, it’s <em>me</em>,” Nines repeated. “It’s me, Nines. It’s your boyfriend. You’re having a nightmare, Gavin. Please wake up!”</p><p>Gavin jerked awake, his eyes flying open. He was panting and gasping like he couldn’t get enough air, and Nines positioned himself at the foot of the bed, trying to give him some space. </p><p>Gavin’s eyes were wide and panicked. Nines’ thirium pump stumbled a beat as he wondered what Gavin could have possibly been dreaming of that upset him so much. </p><p>When it seemed like the man had calmed down enough to receive him, Nines scooted closer and said, “Gavin?”</p><p>Gavin sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute. “Yeah?” His voice sounded choked and thick with unshed tears. </p><p>“Would you like to tell me what your dream was about?”</p><p>Gavin shook his head rapidly. “No, no, I - fuck.” He raked a hand across his face. “Fuck, Nines, ‘m so sorry.”</p><p>“You have nothing to apologise for, Gavin,” Nines said firmly. “May I touch you?”</p><p>Gavin nodded, and Nines laid his palm on the detective’s bare calf. It was a solid, grounding touch, and Nines could see Gavin relaxing under the pressure of it. When he was sure Gavin wouldn’t protest, Nines began to rub gentle, soothing circles into the other man’s sweaty skin. Gavin exhaled shakily, unclenching his fists.</p><p>Nines could tell Gavin appreciated it by the way that tension bled out of his shoulders under Nines’ touch. He smiled to himself. This was all he wanted. Nines could see the guilt clouding Gavin’s eyes, and he wished he knew what to say or do to make it go away. He wished he could make his boyfriend understand that he <em>wanted </em>this, that he <em>chose </em>this, chose <em>him</em>. </p><p>Come what may, Nines had chosen Gavin. Nightmares and all. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <a href="http://moonlight-breeze-44.tumblr.com/">Stalk me on Tumblr</a>
</p><p>Prompts are open, but very slow! Thanks for your patience! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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